Cave Spring Volunteer Fire Department looking for volunteers

Deadline to sign up is Tuesday

Roanoke County – Almost any volunteer fire or ems department in the region will report finding volunteers to staff local departments is a hard task.

Trying to prevent a future shortage, the Cave Spring Volunteer Fire Department is still looking for volunteer members.

The department protects around 45,000 homes and businesses with a completely volunteer staff Monday through Friday 6 p.m. To 6 a.m. And 24 hours on the weekends.

The active members are each assigned to one of six rotating duty teams and respond to approximately 1,000 calls each year to combat structure fires, car fires, and hazardous materials incidents.

Fire Chief John Chambliss, a 20-year veteran of the department, tells prospective recruits, "We are not looking for heroes. We need men and women who can set their own needs and safety aside for the community and work as a team to enter challenging and dangerous situations to protect lives and property. If this sounds like a worthwhile effort to you, we want you to join us."

Beginning in September all training will be provided nights and weekends at the Roanoke County fire training center in Salem.

Chambliss says ideal recruits must have a desire to serve the community and be willing to commit to a minimum of one night of duty per week.

he deadline to signup is coming up on Tuesday. Those interested need to fill out an interest form on the departments website. No experience is necessary.

The Interest Form indicating a desire to learn more can be found on the department's website and should be completed by July 11. Stop by Cave Spring Volunteer Fire Station 3 or call (540) 772-2043 any day after 6 p.m. To learn more about what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter. If potential volunteers cannot commit prior to July 11, there are still opportunities to join